Artist's impression of a Baal idol. Author: Paul S. Taylor.

Who or what is…
Baal

also known as: Ba'al

plural: Baalim

Meaning: lord

This was the name of false gods, a man, and a place.

  1. Baal, false god

    Baal is the name used for the principal male god of the Phoenicians and Philistines. It is found in several places in the plural “Baalim” (Judges 2:11; 10:10; 1 Kings 18:18; Jeremiah 2:23; Hos. 2:17).

    “Baal” was not one god but a title applied to numerous supposed deities—primarily storm-fertility lords—with Baal Hadad as the prototypical form and others like Baal Hammon or Baal Zebub as prominent regional/specialized variants.

    Numerous times in Scripture, God strongly and emphatically condemnes the evil of worshipping these false god. To do so was an extremely serious matter.

    So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel. —Numbers 25:3 LSB

    So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.” —Numbers 25:5

    Your eyes have seen what Yahweh has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men who walked after Baal-peor, Yahweh your God has destroyed them from among you. —Deuteronomy 4:3 LSB

    …pull down the altar of Baal … “Will you contend for Baal, or will you save him? Whoever will contend for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar.” —Judges 6:25, 31 excerpt

    Through the prophet Elijah, God executed 450 false prophets of Baal at Carmel (1 Kings 18:22; 18:40).

    Baal is identified with Molech/Moloch (Jeremiah 19:5). It was known to the Israelites as Baal-peor (Numbers 25:3; Deuteronomy 4:3), was worshipped till the time of Samuel (1 Sam 7:4), and was afterwards the religion of the ten tribes in the time of wicked King Ahab (1 Kings 16:31-33; 18:19, 22).

    It prevailed also for a time in the kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 8:27; compare 11:18; 16:3; 2 Chronicles 28:2), till finally put an end to by the severe discipline of the Captivity (Zeph. 1:4-6).

    There were a great number of priests of Baal (1 Kings 18:19), and various classes (2 Kings 10:19). Their mode of offering sacrifices is described in 1 Kings 18:25-29.

    The sun-god, under the general title of Baal, or “lord,” was the chief object of worship of the Canaanites. Each locality had its special Baal, and the various local Baals were summed up under the name of Baalim, or “lords.”

    Each Baal had a wife, who was a colorless reflection of him.

    A supposed ally of Baal is the false goddess ‘Anat/Anath.

    Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and served the Baals, —Judges 2:11 LSB

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  2. Baal, the Benjamite

    He is a son of Jehiel, the progenitor of the Gibeonites (1 Chronicles 8:30; 9:36).

  3. Baal, the place

    It was inhabited by the Simeonites, the same probably as Baalath-Beer (1 Chronicles 4:33; Joshua 19:8.

Article Version: March 18, 2026